Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-10-06
VOLUNTEERS DAY.

LiSnG BreeZe-Ine Ih1StI0S People Nom
plussed.
NEW YORK, Sept. 2s.-The day for the
first of the great international yacht races
broke under unfavorable circumstances. A
/ heavy, smoky mist, almost fog, hung
| over the bay, and what little wind there
was scarcely sufficed to ripple the water.
Everybody predicted that it would be a
! Thistle day, if there should be any race al
! all. As early as five O'Clock in
| the morning thousands of persons
were astir and in readiness to
seek whatever conveyance was available
to the scene of the great contest, and the
excursion steamers were filled to their
utmost capacity at very early hour, and
when it was still an hour before the start
ing time the upper bay was floating
city. The water all round the flagship
Electra was filed up and verywhere
bands played and whistles blew. For two
hours or more the great feet lay in the bay
waiting for wind. The slight breeze had
died out and the chances were that there
would be no race. As noon approached,
however, a gentle breeze sprang up. At
| II :45 the Thistle began to stand in toward
! Bay Ridge, and the Volunteers sails
partly filed.
Shortly after twelve O'Clock the Electra
blew her whistle and the starting line
was crossed. Before the preparatory
starting, guns were fired, the Thistle
sailed past the Electra with all sails set
except the balloon jib and spinnaker.
The Volunteer cruised about in a small
sprces, and the two yachts created a great
sensation.
The fog by 1915 p. m. had nearly dis
appeared, and the southerly breeze grew
stronger. The preparatory starting gun
was fired at 1920. At 1924 a second gun
was fired by accident, through some one
| tampering with the electric firing APP
paratus. At this time both yachts were
in a favorable position for starting, but as
the FL ectra signals were unchanged neither
crossed the line.
The starting gun was fred at 1890, and
both boats almost Immediately headed for
the line. Both carried mainsail, club top
sail and three jibs. The Thistle was
slightly in the lead, but there was not
more than two hundred feet between the
boats. The official starting time was:
Thistle, 1898 06; Volunteer 12:34:5s IA.
Both yachts crossed the line on the port
tack. The moment they were off the
great fleet of pleasure boats started after
them, followed later by the Electra, which
soon overhauld the crowd. Then hap
pened one of the most remarkable things
ever seen in yacht race in this harbor.
u0 UWO ydCutS "OuU IAUo uIO
narrows, with the Thistle several
hundred feet ahead of the
Volunteer, and came out with the Volun-
| teer a good half mile ahead of the Thistle,
the Volunteer booming along at great
rate of speed, while the Thistle was stand
ing almost dead still. The reason of this
was that the Volunteer had caught the
wind like a feather, and the Thistle had
caught none. A little while later the
Thistle caught the wind, and started Off
at better pace.
| Half an hour after the start the Vol
unteer was fully mile in the lead. The
long lead of the Volunteer was ascribed to
superior seamanship in holding on to the
first tack towards Staten Island and
| catching the breeze off shore. After
| awhile the Thistle got more wind, and re-
| duced the Volunteers lead, and at two
| O'Clock the Scotch boat was apparently
| not more than three quarters
| of mile behind, while at 2:15
| not more than half mile separated the
two, although the Thistle was quarter OF
| a mile to the leeward. At 2:3o the Vol
| unteer was only three-eighths of a mile
! ahead. The wind was increasing,
| and the Volunteer, at 2:35, rounded the
point of the Hook and headed for the
| lightship, six minutes ahead of the
| Thistle.
At 2:43 the Volunteer was on the star.
board tack outside of the Hook about a
mile and quarter ahead of the Thistle.
| The latter then being near the point OF
| the Hook, the wind was then blowing
nine miles an hour, and the Volunteer
| slowly increased her lead until 3:45,
when she rounded the lightship. From
this point back to the finishing line the race
was practically a walk lover for the Vol
| ,l,4 1n<t- he
was greeted with deafening cheers from
the crowds lining the shore, and similar
reception was awarded to her from the
thousand of excursionsts on the pleasure
boats.
At buoy No. 10 the Thistle was sixteen
minutes behind the Volunteer, with the
wind blowing twelve miles an hour.
The Volunteer presented a magnificent
spectacle as she came booming up the bay,
| with the triumphant procession of boats
behind her, each flying every shred of
bunting that could be had.
The Thistle crossed the line with all sails
set, about twenty minutes behind the vic
tor. The official finishing time being as
follows: Volunteer, 5.25-30; Thistle,
5:44.45.
A United Press reporter interviewed Mr..
Bell and Captain Barr Immediately after
the race, just as the Thistle dropped an
Choir in the harbor off Tompkinsville. In
reply to query as to what he thought of
the race, Mr.. Bell said:
81 merely think that we are beaten.
| might say badly beaten. have never, in
| all her races, seen the Thistle sail so badly.
Something appeared to hamper her, as
though she had a log on her bottom. I
am salts fed, however, we could not have
won, even with the Thistle at her best, as
we were badly handicapped by wind and
tide. The Volunteer had wind and tide
largely in her favor going down the Mar
rows, while at times we were almost be.
Gained. You can say, however, that am
satisfied, if the committee are, and that
will not complain"
"Were you hampcred by the excursion
| boats, Mr.. Bell?"
81 had rather not say. I will leave that
for the committee to decide"
just then the chief officer of the steam
yacht Mohican, who had been on the
Thistle during the race, said:
81 should say we were handicapped.
As soon as the Volunteer got in front the
| whole feet started right after her, churn,
ing and tearing up the water until it was
| as choppy as a channel sea.
The News in England.
LONDON, Sept. 2S.-England has heard
the news, and any hopes that were fondly